What do teens know about alcohol?

Young people are bombarded with messages about alcohol every day; the typical American will see 100,000 beer commercials before they turn 18.

Unfortunately, many of these messages do not include the real facts.

The reality is that underage drinking can lead to car crashes, drownings, unplanned pregnancies, and school failure.

Simply put: alcohol ruins many young lives.

In 1994, over 40% of all deaths of16-20 year olds were a result of car crashes.

About half of those - around 2,222 - were alcohol related.

And yet, even when trying to send young people the right information about alcohol, you are still up against the mixed messages they receive about drinking in the world.

Statistics and Survey Results

Studies from the U.S. Public Health Service show that teens do not understand the concept of alcohol content; they think they can sober up by drinking coffee or getting some fresh air … and many teens cannot even differentiate between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

• A national survey conducted in June of 1991 brought out that 2.6 million teenagers did not know you could die from an alcohol overdose.
• Of the 20 million junior and senior high school students in America, ½ drink monthly.
• More than 40% of teens who admitted drinking said they drink when they are upset
• 31% drink alone
• 25% drink when they are bored
• 25% drink to "get high"
• Among sexually active teens, those who average 5 or more drinks daily were nearly three times less likely to use condoms, placing them at risk for HIV infection
• Among all teens who drink, 16% use condoms less often after drinking.

How do teens get alcohol?

The 21-year-old drinking age is the law in all 50 States and where it is strictly enforced it saves lives.

• But the statistics tell a frightening story.  Many studies have shown that underage drinking is prevalent and starts early… as early as the sixth grade.
• By 10^th grade, nearly 90% of youth have had a drink.
• Six out of ten high school seniors are regular (at least monthly) users of alcohol.
• Many young people (about 2/3 of those that drink) simply walk into a store and buy it without ever being asked for identification.
• Others use fake ID’s or ask friends or siblings to make the purchase for them.
• A popular source of alcohol for young people is the family liquor cabinet or at parties, usually friends’ homes, sometimes without parental supervision.
• To put the size of the underage drinking problem into perspective, each year junior and senior high school students drink 1.1 billion cans of beer and consume 35 percent of the wine coolers sold in this country.

These are dangerous numbers for our impressionable youth, especially when we consider that 95% of violent crimes on campus are alcohol related.

Statistics -- death of all 15 - 20-year olds

• 32% - Motor Vehicle Collisions

• 24% - Homicide

• 13% - Suicide

• 9% - Injuries

• 5% - Cancer

• 2% - Heart

• 15% - Other Diseases

This page is: http://www.maddorangecounty.org/teens.htm   

Page updated: August 13, 2005

Home Page | Article/Topic Index | Frequently Asked Questions | Search 
Internet Resources | Mailing List | Membership/Donation | Newsletters | Privacy | Statistics
Contact MADD OC | MADD National | California State Office | California MADD Chapters | Other MADD Chapters